Research: Year One of the DDCSP Experience

As part of year one, scholars will focus on contributing to long-term, ongoing research projects with various labs and research groups affiliated with the University of Michigan, including the natural and social sciences. Through this 7-week experience, they gain mentorship from faculty and graduate students and contribute to research at the cutting edge in the environmental field. With the help of research mentors and program staff, students will design and present a research poster on their summer experience at our annual DDCSP Research Symposium, an experience many students do not receive until graduate school.

2017 DDCSP Scholar, Teresa Dorado, presents her research contributions at the 2017 Annual Research Symposium.

Here's what our scholars are saying about their research experience:

"It was an awesome experience to have been exposed to the world of science first hand. As a geography major who mostly focuses on the physical and social aspects of the world, studying tiny aquatic organisms was a unique and unusual approach to understanding the world from a microscopical perspective."

"I definitely grew professionally by gaining many technical skills in data collection and lab work. But most of all, I learned about how scientific research works and how spontaneous it can be (mainly because of weather) therefore, being able to adapt was super important. This summer helped me gain more insight and think more about grad school and the type of work I would like to do in the future."

"I learned a lot this summer in the lab, both in terms of concrete skills like lab techniques and skills like using illustrator, but also how to communicate better with co-workers and work as a team. I really valued how willing members of the lab were to include me in experimental design and the quality of feedback I received on my work."

Past research placements have included the following:

*NOTE: Research mentor availability changes year to year. Research sites offered in previous summers are not guaranteed for the future.